Interim President Dr. Andrew Agwunobi to leave UConn

On Friday, UConn announced that interim president and current UConn Health CEO Dr. Andrew Agwunobi will leave the school effective Feb. 20, 2022. Agwunobi has left the university to work in the private sector, accepting a job at Humana, a health services company, where he will serve as the president of the company’s home solutions business.

Agwunobi officially was named interim president in July of 2021, replacing Thomas Katsouleas, who served as UConn’s president from 2019-2021. Agwunobi led the school through yet another year impacted by COVID-19 while remaining in an important role as CEO of UConn Health.

With Agwunobi stepping down, UConn is expected to name Radenka Maric, the Vice President for Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship as the interim president at the next Board of Trustees meeting on Jan. 26. Maric will become the second female president in the school’s history, joining Susan Herbst, who served as president from 2011-19.

Dr. Bruce Liang, the current dean of UConn’s School of Medicine, will take over as the interim CEO for UConn Health. Both Liang’s and Maric’s new roles will take effect on Feb. 1.

According to the school and Board of Trustees Chair Dan Toscano, UConn will begin a national search for a president immediately, with the goal of finding a new president by the fall. The board will likely name Advisory Search Committee for president and a smaller steering committee in the upcoming weeks.

It’s never ideal to have such frequent turnover at the highest level of any organization, but Agwunobi’s departure seems to be one where he is pursuing his interests in healthcare and can escape the more public spotlight that comes with being the president of a flagship university. The next president will have to provide a sense of stability from the get-go, and likely navigate another year of COVID-19 and working very closely with the state to ensure their needs are met.